


Viral

by SomniKing



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M, Minor Injuries, Needles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-04-30 04:19:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5150006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomniKing/pseuds/SomniKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something weird is happening in Night Vale.<br/>Not the typical blood oozing from walls or teenagers shapeshifting or hooded figures sulking in the shadows of a nearby building.<br/>No, Something very weird is happening, Night vale residents are behaving more suspiciously than ever before and it's putting Carlos on edge. Cecil tries to  quell the scientists' fears with his soft voice and smooth words- and it almost works, until one of Carlos' labmates comes to work a bit more than just 'under the weather.'<br/>Can Carlos and his team of scientists group together long enough to figure out what this new strain of virus is and how to protect against it, Or will the stress of night vale tear them apart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, This entire little thing is inspired by a very wild dream I had not too long ago. I'm not much of the writing type, but I thought I would give this a shot and I very much enjoyed the dream and think, Maybe you all would enjoy the ride, too.  
> Buckle up.

Night Vale, A beautiful place that many call home, and now, for the time being, Night Vale was where Carlos called home. But that wasn't right, For Carlos the concept of hometowns did not exist. Home was just a word created and used by humans to describe a place where they felt comfortable, a place to relax, a place to love, or maybe it wasn't a place at all. For Carlos 'home' was not a place, it never had been. It had started as an idea but he quickly discarded it. _Scientists do not need to feel comfortable_ , he thought, That would only create issues with his primary goals, And so he kept moving, kept traveling, kept wandering to where there were scientific discoveries and modern advancements to be made.  
Then he met Cecil. It was odd how it happened, really, Carlos hadn't been expecting to fall in love at all. He came to Night Vale, Or rather, He stumbled upon night vale, In an attempt to survey various desert landscapes. Following his gut instincts and going where his studies took him. On arrival he knew that this Small Burg, an oasis in the middle of the hellish desert scenery, was the Most scientifically interesting place he had ever been. What he did not know, However, Was that he would meet someone as interesting as the local community radio talk show host.  
For Carlos, Cecil had been someone he genuinely felt comfortable around, someone he could relax with and, eventually, someone he could love. It was odd how it turned out, For Carlos Home had never been a place, it had been a person. It had been a person he would have never met if he hadn't found Night Vale during his travels. He had Science to thank for helping him finally feel at home. Now more than ever, as he stood in the kitchen of a small apartment while looking out the window, waiting for the coffee machine to finish hissing and the dark liquid to finally be prepared.  
He stretched his arms above his head a moment, allowing the muscles in his shoulders to tighten and slowly ease them again as he lowered his hands towards his face, trying his hardest to rub the sleepy look out of his eyes.  
Last night had been a late one.  
He wasn't sure why it was, but it seemed whenever he needed to work early the next day, he had trouble falling asleep. But then, last night was late for different reasons altogether. Even though he was feeling somewhat groggy now, he didn't regret it at all.  
He motioned his hand quietly to the cabinet on his left, cracking its door only slightly to avoid overworking the squeaking hinges, and grabbed two mugs that had been nestled inside. He set them on the countertop and began to prepare the morning blend, Coffee went black into the first mug, which was also black with small glittery stars dotting around the base, the second mug was taller,  with a White base with a violet handle, this mug required more attention. Carlos poured the coffee in, but stopped when it was just over half full, added one teaspoon of sugar and used cream to fill the rest of the void. a quick stir turned the liquid to a light tan, indicating that Carlos had added too much cream, He took a moment to pour some of the coffee from his own mug into the next to try and even the balance. once he was satisfied with his work he carefully walked the length of the hallway and opened the door to the master bedroom.  
The light was still dim from the pre- dawn sunlight, but Carlos could see the massive lump of blankets and limbs sprawled out on the mattress. The sight made him smile. It did other things to him, too. It put an ache in his heart that made him want to hold that little blanket burrito, unfortunately neither of them had much by way of extra time that morning.  
He set the mugs on the bedside table and started his mission to find the face amid the blankets. After a moment's search he came upon some hair and used that as a guide to carefully pull back the blankets that his boyfriend had swaddled himself into. Cecil had an interesting way about him. He wasn't tall or short, fat or thin, he was, by any means, conventionally attractive. but there was something about the man that Carlos loved. It might have been his smile, or his eyes, maybe even the slight hook to his nose, Carlos wasn't sure, But he had eyes for Cecil. That much he knew.  
He leaned forward and place a small kiss on the edge of Cecil's hairline, while patting his soft cheek with a free hand.  
"Cecil," He whispered, quietly. "It's time to get started on your day."  
Cecil let out an annoyed groan which made Carlos laugh, He was happy. Even if Cecil hated mornings, Carlos couldn't think of a better person to spend them with.  
They sat on the bed that morning, Drinking coffee and talking in short intervals until Cecil became more alert. They spoke of their plans that day, of work, of the weather, various things that people talk about in the morning to avoid lengthy conversations. After a moment, Cecil looked at Carlos with his sharp eyes,  
"I really enjoyed myself last night," He said, matter-of-factly. "I wanted to make sure you knew that."  
Carlos' heart beat a little harder than it should have, but he smiled and nodded.  
"I enjoyed myself, too, Cecil. It's always wonderful to spend the evening with you." He knew he sounded far too old fashioned, but he didn't actually care, being with Cecil was something he always enjoyed and he wanted to be as appreciative as possible.  
  
After a few minutes they continued with their day. Cecil finally got himself off the bed and into the shower and Carlos got dressed while finishing his coffee. It was, by all means, a normal morning for him, despite his boyfriend staying over. But then, technically, they were living together now. Carlos still had trouble with remembering that large detail. He would still say things like "Your place" or "Your Shower" when he meant to say "our place" or "our shower". big changes take time and practice, Carlos knew that.  
Cecil strode out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his chest and another wrapped overtop of his head, this also made Carlos laugh. His boyfriend's antics were strange and he loved it. Cecil kissed him before he walked out of the apartment and down to his car.  
His drive to the mysterious lab was normal, light traffic with the exception of a small deer crossing, nothing too out of the ordinary for Night Vale.  
He began his work with various tubes a beakers without incident, writing various reactions on his notepad while humming quietly to himself. His coworkers were a little late, but he wasn't surprised, it was a monday morning and everyone in Night Vale was late on a Monday morning.  
This was the last of normal.  
If Carlos would have had an inkling of the changes that would happen to Night Vale he would have stayed home a little longer that morning, given Cecil just one more kiss. Or maybe he wouldn't have. Maybe he would have left for the lab much earlier than usual. It's hard to say what one might have done had they had knowledge of what the day would bring.  
  
He heard the Lab door alarm buzz as it was pushed open. It seemed another member of his team had arrived. Her hair was in somewhat of a messy bun and her clothes were loose and comfortable. She looked tired, and Carlos could sympathize. It was a tired day in Night Vale, it seemed as though everyone had been out the day before.  
"Good morning, Rachelle." Carlos chirped, trying to lighten the dreary lab. Rachelle Turned her head to look at Carlos and said nothing. Carlos' brows furrowed. Rachelle was typically more friendly than this, maybe she'd just woken up on the wrong side of the bed.  
Rachelle started her work in silence. she would pause a moment, here and there, and stare at the wall with a neutral expression, before turning her head back down to her notes and scribbling something down.  
after two hours or so, she turned back towards Carlos. Carlos gasped. She looked awful.  
"I don't feel right, Carlos. I think I'm getting sick." She stated blankly. Her lack of expression and pallor skin made the hair on the back of Carlos' neck stand on end.  
"You look like you might be. Maybe you should go home and get some sleep?" Carlos suggested, It wasn't actually a suggestion, it was more of a hope. Rachelle looked like she could faint at any moment.  
"I'm so tired today." She said, quietly.then laughed and added "Dead tired."  
Carlos could see the colour draining from her skin and he walked over towards her to help her take a seat, moving quickly but not quickly enough to startle her. Whatever she had caught was far too much to be working through.He pulled a chair over and motioned to it, Rachelle nodded thankfully and sat down with a sigh, It may have been Carlos' imagination but he could hear phlegm rasping in her throat. He leaned closer to her to take a look at her eyes, What he saw startled him. Her eyes were completely bloodshot and the edges had a faint yellow tint. He could see that her tear ducts were full of what almost looked like, puss? Mucus? He couldn't be sure. She looked as though she had caught a raging case of pinkeye, Had she looked that bad when she first entered the lab? Carlos couldn't remember, but he knew she'd looked ill.  
He tried to think back how long she'd been sick. Rachelle had mentioned some body aches the week prior, but she had written it off as pre-menstrual symptoms.  
As he examined her eyes, she stared at him. Carlos was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She wasn't staring at someone in the way one who is sick stares at someone, she was looking at him almost as if she was hungry. Carlos knew that Rachelle had absolutely no interest in him, Not like that anyway, and he also knew that even if she did she would have respected that he was already seeing someone. But the way she was looking at him didn't exactly remind him of sexual desire, either. Her head began to lilt sideways slightly, and Carlos put a hand to her cheek to stabilize her. Her flesh was burning hot and he knew she was running a dangerously high fever. He needed to do something for her and fast.  
"Carlos," She began, but burst into a fit of coughing. The sudden cough caught Carlos by surprize and saliva coated his face. He wiped it carefully with a spare handkerchief from his lab coat, then offered the cloth to Rachelle till her fit calmed itself.  
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I didn't mean to-" She began coughing again.  
"It's alright, Rachelle. Don't worry about it. no more talking, alright? You need to rest." Carlos began, trying to console his labmate, "Let me get you a nice wet towel, okay? we need to look after that fever." Before he could finish his sentence he watched as the rest of the colour started to fade from her face, except her cheeks which were flaming red. Her eyes fluttered and she pitched to the side, the sudden motion catching Carlos off-guard and sending her straight from the chair to the floor where she lay twitching and convulsing.  
Carlos knew what to do for seizures, But finding a way to push tables away and an extra lab coat to place under her head was difficult.  
He checked the clock and made a mental note of how long the seizing lasted, at a minute and a half into the seizure the liquid began to drain out of Rachelles eyes. It started as a yellow mucus, but slowly it became more and more red. Carlos knew she was bleeding. The blood began to come from her nose, too. and then he noticed flecks on her cheeks, Was blood coming from her pores? He couldn't tell, but he knew that this wasn't right. Rachelle wasn't going to stop seizing and Carlos had a terrible feeling that she was going to die. He had called the emergency medical services, they were responding to his call, but he didn't think she would last long enough to receive proper treatment.  
The convulsions slowed, her breathing was still raspy with phlegm. The blood had stopped leaking from her nose and eyes, but there were still occasional beads building on her face as if they were sweat. She stared at Carlos, it was a blank and meaningless gaze. Carlos stared back, His gaze was filled with terror and sadness.  
The lab door buzzed as the EMT arrived. They had a stretcher with them, in case she was unable to sit in a wheelchair which Carlos knew, she wasn't. He helped them position her onto the small bed-like frame as she began to spew vomit. Some of which landed on Carlos' shoes. He payed no attention to it as he was far too busy with helping the medical professionals whisk her away while giving them all the information he could to help. He didn't climb into the ambulance. There was no need. He was not family, he was not a loved one, he would have been in the way.  
He stood in the parking lot of the mysterious lab, trying to wrap his mind around what just happened. he wasn't sure how long he stood there, but by the time he checked his watch again it was time for him to go home. Time was so strange in night vale, even more so now that he didn't have a reliable way to keep track of it.  
He changed into a spare set of clothes and placed his old set into a bio-hazardous bag to be kept in the lab and disposed of properly.  
He got into his car and dialed Cecil's number on his phone.  
The answering tone was the same as it always had been,  
_"Hello, you may have reached the phone of Cecil Palmer!"_ The voice rang cheerfully, _"Or maybe you didn't, but how can you be sure? Go ahead, leave a message and find out. It will be kept strictly confidential."_ Carlos hated leaving messages on Cecil's phone. most days it seemed like Cecil never even heard them, but he figured it was worth a shot and hearing Cecil's semi-threatening answering tone helped him to relax.  
"Cecil," He said slowly, "It's been a really really long day. I wanted to talk to you, something weird has happened at the lab and I thought you might have some insight." He paused for a moment, trying not to get emotional on the phone, "I really just need to see you and make sure you're alright, I hope you had a good day and I'll see you tonight."  
He pressed the end button and started his car to begin his journey back home. wishing for the normal he had experienced earlier that day.  
He wouldn't get it. Thing's are strange in Night Vale, If you become unaccustomed to change you will not survive. 


	2. Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos is under a lot of stress lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This goes out to Table-Backbone on tumblr , without your support I probably wouldn't have written anymore for this. Don't worry friend, I have everything played out, I just have to find time to type it.

Carlos shivered.   
Not necessarily from the somewhat lower than normal temperature of the lab, No. Carlos was shivering in fear. crouched behind a long metal desk in the dim halflight of the labs glowing EXIT sign, Carlos took a slow soft breath to try and calm his nerves before inching his way around the side of the desk to obtain a better view.   
Squinting furiously Carlos could make out the flurry of silhouettes of the various desks, cabinets and equipment that crowded the lab. Squinting harder, Carlos was able to see the small blurred outline of his glasses on the floor just over one metre from his current hiding place.    
A loud crash came from the opposite corner of the lab, causing Carlos to jump in panic, resulting in his head being racked against the overhang of the desk. Carlos slumped back on his heels and held his head while mouthing a silent curse and waiting for the vicious sting to fade. And for the next moment The crashing of various instruments and shattering of multiple beakers as they were thrown to the ground were the only sounds heard in the lab.   
Carlos removed his hand from his head when a slight warm sensation coated it, He didn’t have to look to know that he was bleeding. With all of the calm grace he could muster, Carlos began his quiet journey from his safe space and into the open to retrieve his glasses. Even just a little more focus with his surroundings could mean the difference of life or death. He could see the EXIT sign near the opposite corner and he knew that if he were to have any chance at making it through he would need to see exactly where he was going.    
The destruction continued as various chemicals began to aerate in the open space, Carlos held a hand to his nose as he reached for his glasses with the other, then froze.    
everything was quiet. The lab had gone silent except for Carlos’ panicked breathing. Carlos surveyed the area with frantic eyes, Nothing in front or near his sides. He continued forward and snatched his glasses from the floor, careful while placing them on his nose.   
The right lens had gotten scratched after they initially fell from his face, but otherwise the condition was quite acceptable and the various shapes became much more distinctive.   
He used his newly restored vision to scope the room yet again, only to see nothing. There were beakers on the floor along with various spilled liquids and powders, but for the most part Carlos was alone.   
He glanced back to his right, Nothing.   
His left, Clear.   
he turned his head to glance behind, Still no threat.    
He slowly rose from his crouched position to look over the desks on either side of him, and saw nothing. After rising to full height he let out a soft, shaky sigh of relief.    
Carlos looked back to his hand, Sure enough there had been a small smear of blood from the gash he’d no doubt inflicted to his scalp, but otherwise he was okay.   
That is, until he felt the light pressure on his back. He tensed and immediately threw himself forward, falling on some of the various liquids on the floor and crawling away from the threat behind him. Looking backwards he could see a shadow hovering where he had been standing seconds before, it was moving closer to him, rasping as it moved. It nearly sounded as if it were choking. Carlos scurried backwards more, through other various artifacts on the floor. A small shard of broken glass lodged itself into carlos’ palm sending a sharp icy pain through his arm.   
Carlos hoisted himself back to his feet, Running towards the Exit of the lab. His torso began burning, tingling and aching as he pressed forward, his breaths became jagged and short, the exit only seemed to move farther and farther the longer he ran.    
Carlos knew something was wrong. He could feel himself becoming weak, His vision began to narrow and even spin. Carlos fell, unable to run any longer, He felt as though his lungs were burning, Bleeding almost. looking behind himself he saw the ominous shadow drawing near, he attempted to crawl forward, the exit was so close. As he reached one arm in front of the other to pull himself forward he noticed blood along his sleeves,   
Blood droplets were soaking the ground beneath his face, He shakily reached a hand to wipe the salt of his sweat from his eyes, only to pull it away and discover a thick mucus. Carlos gasped for air, every breath was labored.    
he could hear the choking noise again, but this time it wasn’t only the figure at his feet, the rasps were coming from his throat.   
he tried to scream, maybe someone walking by the lab would hear, maybe it would scare away the beast that was now hovering over him, grasping his shoulders and shaking him.   
he tried to escape it’s clutches, It’s grip was too tight and he was too weak.    
He continued to struggle as he was still being shaken, he could hear someone calling his name from a distance. he tried to call back, forming screams was difficult in his condition.    
“Carlos!” He heard, A quick shake from the figure above him and he heard it again, clearer this time;   
“Carlos!”   
His eyes snapped open and he flailed in panic as he was still being shaken,   
“Carlos, wake up!” Cecil said, his voice half groggy half worry.   
The familiar views of his apartment greeted Carlos, The lamp on the bedside table cast a soft glow throughout the room.   
Cecil gently took Carlos’ face in his hands and redirected his gaze to meet his eyes, Carlos, still breathing heavily, happily made contact and didn’t pull away from his boyfriend.   
“Carlos, are you okay?” Cecil questioned, His worried eyes betrayed the soothing tones of his voice. Clearly something had upset him.   
“Yes, I’m fine Cecil.” Carlos responded, shakily.    
“Carlos you’re burning up.”    
He hadn’t noticed, But now that Cecil had mentioned it Carlos could feel the droplets of sweat making their way from his neck down his back.   
“Sometimes I get warm when I have a bad dream.” It was a terrible excuse, but Carlos felt as though it were a reasonable enough explanation.   
Cecil shook his head and pressed the back of his hand to Carlos’ forehead, A small worried line of a wrinkle formed across Cecil’s forehead as his brows furrowed. Unsatisfied with this measurement of temperature, Cecil leaned forward, Lightly touching foreheads with Carlos. Carlos closed his eyes and Sighed at the contact.   
“I’m positive you have a fever.” Cecil sighed shortly, then Pulled himself from the bed. Carlos watched him disappear through the door into the bathroom, after a moment of running the faucet, Cecil reappeared with a wet washcloth and a small cup with water. Carlos raised his eyebrows at his small boyfriend.   
“You know that touching foreheads isn’t an accurate way to judge someone’s temperature.” He teased, the joke was ill timed. Cecil sighed and rolled his eyes but he couldn’t hide a small smile that forced it’s way onto his lips.   
“Yes, well. You know that you can’t hide when you’re feeling sick from your boyfriend, Now lie back.”    
Carlos followed the instructions he was given, and Cecil carefully placed the rag on his forehead. The cold damp cloth did, in fact, feel incredibly soothing.   
after taking a few small sips of the water that Cecil had provided him, Carlos gave Cecil an apologetic look,   
“I’m really sorry for waking you, babe.”   
“It’s alright, I’m more concerned about you.  I haven’t heard you get that upset at a dream in a long time.” Cecil replied softly, stroking Carlos’ face with his soft hand, “Do you think talking about your dream would help?”   
Carlos shook his head slowly, so as not to disturb the calming hand on his cheek.   
“No I’ll be alright.” He insisted, “It was pretty silly anyway.”   
Cecil didn’t look convinced, but accepted the dismissal regardless.    
After a few moments of sitting up and looking after his boyfriend, Cecil yawned.   
Carlos shot him a small glare, “You should be sleeping, Mister.” He said playfully.   
Cecil nodded and added “Yeah, well, so should you. You’re the sick one here!”   
it was a hard to argue that point. The longer he was awake the more Carlos could feel his body ache. After a moment of two of deliberation, he decided to sleep, but only if Cecil would agree to do the same.    
After a few moments of tugging blankets back and forth while giggling softly, Cecil placed his head on Carlos’ chest. The weight of it was oddly reassuring. Carlos slowly rubbed Cecil’s back, Listening as his boyfriend’s breathing slowed as he fell asleep.   
In that moment Carlos knew more than ever before, He was in love.   
A small wave of happiness filled him, followed by the urge to protect this small man next to him.   
He moved his hand from Cecil’s back and played with his hair instead. Feeling it’s natural texture and smiling to himself as he daydreamed.   
This was a love he knew he wanted to keep experiencing, As long as he lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of babbling on my part, I'm sorry. Hope you all are having a good day. more updates soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading this slop. to be honest it probably took me a lot longer than I thought it would. to be continued? maybe??


End file.
